Poultry litter amendments [abridged version]

Poultry Litter Amendments Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit them¬ selves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities wel¬ come all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Depart¬ ment of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. NC Broiler and turkey litter typically consists of wood shavings, rice hulls, or peanut hulls. Microbes in the litter convert the birds’ excreta and spilled feed into ammonium (NH4+), which can bind to litter and also dissolve in water. Depending on the moisture content, temperature, and acidity of the litter, a portion of the ammonium will be converted into ammonia (NH3) gas. Ammonia production is favored by high temperature and high pH (i.e., alkaline conditions). Ammonia irritates the eyes and respiratory system of birds (and humans) and reduces resis¬ tance to infection. High ammonia levels in poultry houses can adversely affect bird performance and health, causing a loss of profits to the grower and integrator. While it has been recommended that ammonia concentration in poultry houses be kept below 25 parts per million (ppm), newer research has indicated that continuous exposure to even 10 ppm can be harmful to the bird’s health. Adding litter amendments can reduce ammonia in poultry houses. There are many types of litter amendments, such as acidifiers, alkaline materials, adsorbers, inhibiters, or microbial treatments. However, only a few have been evaluated and found to be effec¬ tive in controlled studies. Three acidifiers that are currently in use — Al+Clear,* Poultry Guard, and Poultry Litter Treatment — are compared in Table 1 . Acidifiers create acidic conditions in the litter, reducing conversion of ammonium to ammonia. The acidity also inhibits the activities of bacteria and enzymes that are involved in the formation of ammonia, reducing ammonia production. While some studies have shown acidifiers to be effec¬ tive in reducing ammonia to less than 25 ppm for 3 to 4 weeks after application, other studies have shown that acidifiers can provide at least partial ammonia control for up to 7 weeks. Alkaline materials, such as agricultural lime, hydrated or slaked lime, and burnt lime, increase the litter alkalinity and convert more of the arnmo- Using amendments may offer other economic and environmental benefits: • Reducing ammonia loss will increase the nutrient value of the litter while improving air quality. • Reducing ammonia production may reduce ventilation needs and, hence, energy costs in houses that have inad¬ equate ventilation. • Odor complaints from neighbors may be reduced. • Pathogen and pest levels in the house may be reduced. • Water quality may improve because the use of alum can reduce the loss of soluble phosphoms and heavy metals in the runoff from land-applied poultry litter. nium into ammonia gas. It then must be vented to the outdoors, and this can become an environ¬ mental problem. Adsorbers (clinoptilolite and peat) have been tested, and clinoptilolite has shown mixed results. Peat seems too expensive to be practical. Inhibitors have been tested and also seem too expensive. Microbial treatments have been marketed as improving the performance of microbes in the litter and thus benefiting poultry performance, but such statements are not published in scien¬ tific journals. Whatever the choice of amendment, the supplier should be contacted for specific infor¬ mation on use. When handling amendments, all safety precautions should be taken, including wearing personal protective equipment. Using an amendment is no substitute for good in-house management. For detailed infor¬ mation on poultry litter amendments, go to the Web : www. bae.ncs u.ed u/program s/ex tension/ publicat/wqwm/animops.html STATE UNIVERSITY A&T STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Helping People Pm Knowledge to Work ■ Alt Clear is applied inside a poultry house using a spinner spreader in the photo above. Sprinkling water helps reduce dust levels and activates the amendment. Photo courtesy of C. Kim, General Chemical Corp.